Harry Freeland Garrett was born in Corydon, Iowa, in 1887. He graduated from the University of Iowa Law School in 1911 and was admitted to the Iowa Bar the same year. Returning to Corydon, he began a law practice. From 1913 to 1918 he was the county attorney for Wayne County, a position that he again held from 1929 to 1931. In 1931, Garrett was elected to Iowa's State House of Representatives. In 1933, he became Iowa's Attorney General, serving until 1937, when he resumed his law practice in Corydon. From 1958 to 1960, Harry F. Garrett served as a justice on the Iowa Supreme Court. He died in Corydon, Iowa, in 1971.

The papers of Harry F. Garrett date from 1911 to 1971 and document his legal and political career. The two boxes which house his papers contain subject files including individual court cases, speeches, and memorabilia from his 60th law school class reunion. Correspondence, including letters from Jake More, is found throughout the collection and concerns the courts, politics, and campaigns.